Medicines secured

ByREBECCA KUKUBORNEO Pacific Pharmaceutical Ltd has been awarded Government contracts to supply medical kits and antibiotics valued at more than K100 million. Health secretary Pascoe Kase, pictured, said the National Executive Council approved the recommendation by the Health Department which saw Borneo Pacific win the medical kits supply from three other bidders and antibiotics from 14. He said the two one-year contracts were handed to Governor-General Bob Dadae only on Tuesday and he thanked him for signing them promptly at Government House yesterday. “The country is crying out for medicines and his fast action would ensure that medicine supplies would soon reach the people,” Kase said. “In two weeks’ time, the medicines will be handed over to the Health Department and we will then distribute the supplies through our four logistics companies.” One contract worth K65,271,000 is for the supply of medical kits and the other, valued at K43,465,000, is for antibiotics. Borneo Pacific chairman Sir Martin Poh said he was aware of talks about the quality of the medical supplies. “There have been talks about the medicine supplies not being up to standard, but it’s just rumours. Borneo Pacific Pharmaceutical is the only ISO certified health distributor in the country,” he said. “We have the capacity and the qualification to procure and supply, and get our supplies from various countries. All the medicines are tested for quality at a WHO-certified testing facility and comes with a proof of quality test. “We are Papua New Guinea citizens and the company is 100 per cent nationally owned. Our heart is with the people and we want to ensure that people have medicines. “So we procure and supply with our own money, and the Government pays us later. In fact, the Government still has outstanding payments from 2018 but, like I said, we are Papua New Guineans and want to ensure that our people have medicines. We are willing to procure and supply using our own funds and give the Government time to pay us later when they are ready.” The contracts were tendered last February for the procurement and supply of the 100% Medical Kits and the antibiotics.